Former Nebraska top cop to work as Canton public safety director

Thursday

The former head of the Nebraska State Patrol will be the public safety director for Canton, Ohio, Mayor-elect William J. Healy II.

The former head of the Nebraska State Patrol will be the public safety director for Canton, Ohio, Mayor-elect William J. Healy II.

Tom Nesbitt, the former colonel and superintendent of the agency, beat out candidates that included past and present city officers. Healy announced the appointment Wednesday in a press release.

Healy said Nesbitt has “incredible experience at all levels of law enforcement.”

“From the patrolmen to the commanding officers to the chief of police, Tom understands the important role that each individual plays in the department,” Healy said in the release. “I’m thrilled that we were able to land a person of this caliber in such a critical position, and look forward to using his wealth of knowledge to address Canton’s crime issues for years to come.”

Nesbitt has experience leading a task force that targeted drug trafficking.

“I miss public safety,” Nesbitt said Wednesday. “I’m a servant at heart. I really have the need to serve the public, and I just have never been able to remove that from myself.”

Nesbitt said he agrees with Healy’s “zero tolerance” approach to crime.

“I’m a very strong person for zero tolerance,” he said. “That’s the way I’ve been all my life. Criminal nature is just unacceptable, and we have to do everything we can to ensure the citizens have all the trust and the faith in the officers.”

Developing the policy will take time, Nesbitt said. “I need to sit down and see the lay of the land, and see what’s going on, and see what the absolute issues are at hand here,” he said.

BERNABEI BECOMES SERVICE DIRECTOR

Healy also announced Wednesday that Thomas M. Bernabei, a former city law director who served as an at-large city councilman from 2003 to 2005, will be named the public service director. Bernabei, 61, will be the senior cabinet official and serve in a role similar to chief of staff.

“I considered it really a challenge and an opportunity to play a significant role in the operation of a city the size of Canton,” Bernabei said earlier this week. “I’m looking at it more as a passion at this point in my life, as opposed to merely holding down a job.”

The service director oversees the water, sewer, street and sanitation departments and other areas. Salary ranges for service director and safety director are $71,260 to $83,362.

“I think one of the primary reasons that Mayor-elect Healy wanted to involve me in this is to cut down on that learning curve,” Bernabei said. “You need to have the institutional knowledge, you need to know the players, the elected officials and the department heads.”

Bernabei, who lives in Jackson Township, said he will ask City Council to waive the state’s residency requirement for service director. Council waived the requirement for outgoing Safety Director Bernard Hunt.

FROM NEBRASKA TO CANTON

As safety director, Nesbitt will oversee the police, fire and building departments.

Nesbitt, who spent about 27 years with the state patrol, said he left the agency’s top position in 2005 after the new governor asked him to retire.

Nesbitt said he respected Republican Gov. Dave Heineman’s decision to assemble his own team. He also credited the governor for allowing him to work long enough to qualify for retirement benefits.

Nesbitt, 52, had spent time as the head of the State Troopers Association of Nebraska. He was appointed superintendent by Republican Gov. Mike Johanns in 1999, the first time a patrol sergeant had been promoted to the top job, according to the Omaha World-Herald. Nesbitt used a month of vacation time to campaign for Johanns, the newspaper reported.
Nesbitt said Wednesday that he felt it was important to campaign on behalf of the union in an effort to address “a very bitter wage and benefit battle” that led to troopers quitting and troopers with children on milk and lunch programs.

Wage increases followed shortly after Johanns took office. Many had credited Nesbitt with resolving the long-standing pay dispute, the World-Herald reported.

But Johanns brought a former lieutenant colonel out of retirement to assist Nesbitt after some top command staff took their management concerns to the governor’s office. Johanns left the governor’s office in 2005 to become the secretary of agriculture for President Bush.

Given the multiple responsibilities and long hours, Nesbitt said Wednesday that the superintendent’s job “was overwhelming at times.” The lieutenant colonel was brought in “to help me and to make sure that we were very effective” in operating the agency, he said.

FROM COMMITTEE TO CABINET

A fellow Democrat, Bernabei said he does not know Healy that well, meeting him while campaigning for City Council in 2003.

Bernabei said he did not initially expect to join Healy’s staff. He began as a member of the safety committee, which interviewed candidates. Bernabei said he participated in four interviews, none of which included Nesbitt and the other finalist.

Councilman Bill Smuckler, D-at large, said Bernabei “is a magnificent choice,” adding that he “lends credibility to this administration and he gives it a sense of direction.

“He will have council’s total respect and admiration.”

HEALY’S PICKS

THOMAS M. BERNABEI

POSITION: Canton service director

AGE: 61

EDUCATION: Lehman High School, 1964; Brown University, bachelor’s in history, 1968; and The Ohio State University, law degree, 1975

EDUCATION: Fullerton (Neb.) High School, 1973 and attended the University of Nebraska at Omaha

EXPERIENCE: 27 years with the Nebraska State Patrol, including time as a sergeant and about six years as superintendent. Also worked for Pierce Police Department and the York County Sheriff’s Department, both in Nebraska. Served as president of the State Troopers Association of Nebraska and the State Law Enforcement Bargaining Council.

POSSIBLE PULL QUOTES:

‘I’m looking at it more as a passion at this point in my life, as opposed to merely holding down a job.’
— THOMAS M. BERNABEI, NEW CANTON SERVICE DIRECTOR

‘I miss public safety. I’m a servant at heart. I really have the need to serve the public, and I just have never been able to remove that from myself.’
— TOM NESBITT, NEW CANTON SAFETY DIRECTOR

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